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Episode: Your New "Artificial Intern": Unlock Your Authentic Genius with AI | Monica Marquez
Host: Ryan Alford (Radcast Network)
Guest: Monica Marquez, Co-Founder, Flip Work
Date: October 21, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode dives deep into the realities of AI adoption in modern business, featuring Monica Marquez, co-founder of Flip Work. With rich experience from Google, Goldman Sachs, and Bank of America, Monica shares how most companies are failing at integrating AI—not due to the technology, but because of resistance, fear, and a lack of true adoption among people. The conversation hits on how businesses can unlock authentic, human genius by reframing AI as an “artificial intern,” amplifying—not replacing—what people do best. The show promises practical strategies for leaders and teams to pivot, thrive, and get genuine ROI from new workflows powered by AI.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The State of AI Adoption in Business (01:24–03:52)
- Monica shares that most corporate AI pilots are failing mainly due to low adoption, especially among older or more established employees.
- Flip Work is introduced as a platform dedicated to facilitating AI change management and helping companies rethink workflows for the AI era.
Quote:
"We're really trying to close the gap that no one is addressing about people and adoption. How do you help people flip the way that they do work?"
—Monica Marquez (01:57)
2. The Biggest Obstacle: People, Not Technology (02:57–03:52)
- Monica references MIT research showing that 95% of AI pilots fail—not due to the tech, but because teams are “layering AI over how they already work” instead of reinventing workflows.
- The notion that “AI will replace people” is reframed: it’s people who use AI effectively who will outpace those who don’t.
Quote:
"AI is not going to replace people. People who leverage AI are going to replace people."
—Monica Marquez (03:00 & 00:33)
3. Closing the Skills Gap: From Fear to Trial and Error (04:20–06:13)
- Monica stresses the need for safe spaces in workplaces where trial and error with AI is encouraged.
- Many employees feel that using AI is “cheating,” because they equate effort with value—"If it used to take 3 days and now takes 30 minutes, am I undermining myself?"
Quote:
"People are having to...flip the script on these values and these conditioned beliefs of effort equals success. Now we need to say: impact equals success."
—Monica Marquez (05:38)
4. Leadership’s Role: Permission, Empowerment, & Realignment (06:13–09:08)
- Ryan shares how, as a leader, he openly mandates AI usage to empower his teams and destigmatize it.
- Monica points out many workers wait for explicit permission to adopt new tools, and it’s up to leaders to model trial, error, and collaboration with AI.
- Flipping workflows is essential: don’t just add AI to old processes—identify what AI can automate so people can focus on their “zone of genius.”
Quote:
"Let’s step back and think…how might we delegate or have AI do all these other things so we can focus on our zone of genius?"
—Monica Marquez (08:27)
5. The Pivot Mentality: Adapt or Get Left Behind (09:08–09:47)
- “Change multiplier” becomes a key catchphrase: AI supercharges change, making skills-based, hands-on professions some of the only safe havens from automation.
- The consensus: AI isn’t going anywhere, so resistance is futile.
Quote:
"This genie is not going back in the bottle."
—Ryan Alford (09:44)
6. How Flip Work Transforms Companies (09:48–11:17)
- Monica outlines Flip Work’s three-step approach:
- Activate Talent: Reinvent employees’ attitudes and rituals, transforming them into AI leaders.
- Elevate Workflows: Redesign processes for speed, ROI, and higher impact.
- Sustain Change: “Flippy,” an AI change agent (their “artificial intern”), provides ongoing, daily support so teams don’t backslide into old habits.
Quote:
"We've developed...Flippy, the AI change agent—to work with you daily, to constantly be that artificial intern...constantly telling you how do you sustain this type of adoption."
—Monica Marquez (10:55)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On AI Replacing Jobs:
"AI is not going to replace people. People who leverage AI are going to replace people."
—Monica Marquez (00:33 & 03:00) -
On New Success Metrics:
"It’s impact equals success. How much more impact can you have with AI so that you can be successful?"
—Monica Marquez (06:06) -
On Why Pilots Fail:
"95% of AI pilots are failing. It’s not because of the technology. The technology is great. What’s failing is that it’s people."
—Monica Marquez (02:59) -
Change & Adaptation:
"Sometimes you just gotta put it in those simple terms...learn to use the tape measure of today."
—Ryan Alford (06:29) -
Making Change Stick:
"Most of us like to change and then we want to stay there, and then, you know, you’re forced to change later."
—Monica Marquez (11:13)
Important Timestamps
- 00:33: Monica reframes AI's threat: people who master AI will replace those who don't
- 01:24–03:52: Introducing Flip Work; why adoption, not tech, is the problem
- 04:20–06:13: Overcoming fear, reframing effort vs. impact, and the challenge of “cheating” with AI
- 06:13–09:08: Leadership’s vital role in modeling and enabling AI use; changing workflows
- 09:08–09:47: The inevitability of AI-driven change (“the genie is not going back in the bottle”)
- 09:48–11:17: Flip Work's unique approach and the "Flippy" AI agent
Tone & Takeaways
- Straightforward and energetic: No-nonsense discussion, practical language, with a push for real change over empty buzzwords.
- Empowering: AI is a tool to amplify human value, not undermine it.
- Actionable: Leaders must lead by example, empower their teams, and reposition workflows—not just slap AI onto old ways of working.
- Reassuring: Human nuance—empathy, judgment, creativity—cannot be replaced by AI, only enhanced.
For listeners who want the real story on AI adoption and what it takes to become a future-proof, high-impact business or employee, Monica Marquez and Ryan Alford deliver unvarnished wisdom and practical guidance.